Redhill School in Johannesburg is one of South Africa’s top academic schools and produces matriculants with an average of 4.3 distinctions each.

The history of the school dates back to 1907 when St. Winifred’s School for Girls occupied a small double-storey building in Yeoville, Johannesburg. 

In 1924, the school was relocated to Parkview, where a modern building was constructed, quickly establishing the school as a highly regarded educational institution for girls.

The school underwent a significant transformation when Catherine Hill became the Headmistress. She had a bold vision to revitalise the school’s image, both in terms of its physical appearance and its name. 

Therefore, it was renamed “Redhill School,” inspired by the Headmistress and the vibrant colour of the new uniforms. Facing financial struggles, the school sought more affordable premises and ultimately settled in the rondavels in Morningside. 

To raise funds, the school was registered as a company on April 6, 1946. Many parents agreed to serve on the Board of Directors at that time.

Amid further financial challenges, the school’s governing body approached Dr Isaac Kriel, the majority shareholder of the Damelin Group, to acquire the school. 

Redhill School officially came under the guidance of the Damelin Group in 1968 as part of a deal valued at R300,000, approximately R31 million today.

Following this acquisition, Redhill experienced significant growth, expanding from a girls’ school with 150 pupils to a school with 630 pupils, including boys, within a decade. 

After Kriel’s departure, the school came under the care of a trust that was registered in July 1979, along with a Board of Trustees.

Throughout the 1980s, the number of black students admitted to Redhill increased, and a scholarship scheme was established to support them. 

This occurred despite laws that restricted black children from attending what the government considered to be a ‘whites-only’ school.

“After a challenging century, Redhill has weathered many storms and grown to become one of the leading educational institutions in South Africa,” the school said on its website.

“It has overcome times of economic and financial hardship to grow from modest beginnings to a financially stable, innovative and progressive school.”

Students can graduate with IEB or IB qualifications

Redhill was recognised as South Africa’s best-performing private school, achieving an impressive average of 4.30 distinctions per candidate. 

Unique in the country, Redhill offers students the option to graduate with either an IEB or an IB qualification.

Despite offering two educational pathways, the school topped the IEB’s list for distinctions per student, marking its highest achievement in history. 

According to an analysis by BusinessTech, Redhill was identified as the best-performing private school in South Africa in 2025, particularly among prominent schools with more than 50 matriculants.

The school attributes its success to the strong academic capabilities of the 2025 cohort. Highlights from the IEB results include:

• 98% of students achieved at least one A
• 17% of students attained a 90%+ average
• 55% achieved an A average
• 93% attained a B average or higher
• 22% received a full house with seven or more distinctions
• 43% of all distinctions were awarded with scores of 90% or above

It’s important to note that many of Redhill’s top academic students are pursuing the IB pathway; therefore, their achievements are not reflected in the IEB distinction counts.

“This means these results represent only part of the academic strength of this cohort. That makes the achievement all the more impressive,” said Executive Head Joseph Gerassi.

The average IB score at the school was 33.31 out of 45, exceeding the world average by 4.01 points.

“Our focus is on developing confident, resilient young people who are engaged in school life, supported by their community and equipped to manage challenge – not simply to perform under pressure,” added Gerassi.

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Redhill Photos

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